Chapter Thirty-One

I turned to look at the vegetables and thought about how to place them over a fire. Were fires even possible here? I couldn’t think of anything that might create a spark big enough, nor items that could be used to sustain it. Nina could see the thoughts in my head and walked back towards her room.

“The next step would be to cook them, right?” Nina said in a loud voice as she searched for something back there. “I have something that can start a fire, but I’m unsure of what we could use to keep it going.” She came back with a piece of metal and a small, square shaped rock. “Now, I’ve never used this before, but I do know how it works. When we collide these two things together in a specific way, we’ll create little sparks, and those sparks are what start a fire.” I stared at the items in her hands, wondering how two items that looked so different could create something life changing. “If only we had some way to test it…”

“Outside, trees?” I asked, remembering the husks that accompanied the rocks and fallen buildings.

“There aren’t any trees left,” Nina said. “We barely found flowers.”

“Those husks?”

“Are those trees? The don’t look like the illustrations in the book.

“Dead trees. Much easier to burn.”

“Without a lot of options, it’s worth a shot.” Nina headed to the ladder, still wearing the clothes she wore to go to sleep. It reminded of me of how I would walk around the halls in my pajamas on the rare weekends where I could relax. No one understood the freedom it gave me, and how much emboldened I’d become the more the servants would chase me. Sometimes, it’s nice to be casual.

We reached the top and headed to the nearest tree husk. Nina used her knife to trim a few pieces, showing me how many years she practiced with each movement. After collecting a handful each, we brought them back and set them on the ground, some distance away from the door. I walked back into Nina’s place to grab the vegetables. I placed them in a tray and headed back to the ladder. I stared at the task ahead of me and began stumbling my way to the entrance. The tray of food reached the floor first, followed by my gasping and then my tumbling body. Nina laughed at my struggle, reaching for the vegetables first.

“Too much, coordination,” I said, sitting down. “Better to slice, up here.”

“That’s a good idea,” Nina said putting the vegetables down. “And that way, we won’t have to worry as much about the mess. You’re always full of good ideas.” I crawled towards the collection that Nina had built while I was away. “This is what it looks like in the books. A circle of rocks, followed by branches and leaves, and then a source.” She took the metal piece in her hand while holding the rock with three fingers in her other hand. She tried striking them, hitting them, and slamming them but nothing came out. “This was always going to be difficult.” She handed the pieces to me. “Maybe you can figure it out.”

“First time, know nothing,” I said, taking my time to examine them. “Unsure.”

“Neither of us know how to do it, but I gave it my best shot. I want to see how you try to do it.” I tried hitting the rock with the metal piece, but I failed to get a single spark. Much like Nina, every motion I did to it resulted in nothing being on fire. I sighed as I lowered my head.

“No fire,” I said. “Too difficult.” I lowered the hand that contained the metal and watched as it caught the rock. Sparks appeared in front of me, blinking in and out before I could count them. I heard Nina gasp before I noticed her move towards me.

“You did it! I saw it!” she said, her voice full of excitement. “Do the exact same thing you just did.” I struck the rock with the metal piece again, and this time, more sparks arose to greet us. “Quick, hold it in the pile and strike it!” I did as Nina told me, and we watched as the pieces of the tree husks caught on fire. I felt the intense heat blast my face, forcing me to take a few steps back. Nina stood next to it, staring at the dancing flames, paralyzed by their movements.

“It’s like the warmth of the sun we both felt, but much more intense,” she said, breaking through the trance she was in. “Fire can be dangerous, and now I understand why. This can hurt you without even trying.”

“Fire, helped life,” I said, taking my turn to stare at it. “Respect. Then control.”

“I’ve just been watching you make every move. I wish I could help more.”

“No need. Fine to relax.” I moved some rocks around me to make a stand over the fire and placed the tray over it. I made sure to separate the slices so that each one could have a turn over the fire. The tray was metal, so it didn’t take long before I watched it start to match the heat of the fire. “No touch. Tray, very painful. Looks the same. Burns.” Nina nodded her head as she watched the fire do its job. We both waited for some time, looking at each other and wondering when we should remove the tray away from the fire. When I saw the slices move on their own, I decided that enough time had passed, and I reached for the tray. Nina held her arm in front of me, stopping me from moving any close.

“I don’t care if you can’t feel pain,” she said looking at me. “If you said that this thing is hot, it will damage your body, and you won’t even know it. I’m not going to let that happen.” She looked around and picked up two bricks and placed them under the tray She moved them to another brick that was flatter than the rest and lowered it down to it. Though the brick sizzled when it touched the intense heat, it quieted down enough for us to get closer.

“I hope these are ready,” she said. “Do you think we should have flipped them?”

“Flip them?” I asked. “Maybe better. No heat-resistant hands.” Nina stared at her hands and winced at the thought of touching an object with the heat she felt before. I turned towards the tray and picked up a piece of tomato. The side that faced us looked similar to the slice before the fire. It was wrinkled in certain areas, and it had shrunk and misshapen itself, but it still looked like a tomato. When I flipped it over, I saw black splotches all around it. They weren’t big, but they were noticeable. I placed it mouth and made an audible sound.

“Good!” I said to Nina.” Different flavor. Just as good!” Nina followed my lead and took a slice for herself.

“You’re telling the truth!” she said, reaching for another slice. The fire added a different flavor and made it much more enjoyable! I can’t choose between this and the cucumber!” As I reached for another slice, I remember the vial of salt in Nina’s pocket. My curiosity wanted to know just how delicious a slice of tomato could get. I turned towards Nina, showing her that I wanted more.

“Pockets. Salt,” I said with a smile. Nina didn’t hesitate for a second as she rushed down the ladder and back up it before I could the minute. She opened the vial and sprinkled a few grains over her slice and mine. We both took the bite together and fell over in bliss.

“I never want to eat anything else again!” she exclaimed to the sky. “Vegetables and salt forever!”

“Vegetables! Salt! Forever!” I repeated as I tried to memorize the taste. Nina ate more and more slices, trying to finish them before I could reach for another. “For me!”

“You’ll have to take them away from me!” she said with a big laugh. We reached for the vegetables in each other’s hand, ignoring the ones on the tray. We wanted what the other wanted, because we knew that that we’d only prepare the best for each other, so that we could enjoy it together.